What are Respectable SAT or ACT Scores?

While courses and grades are the most significant factor in college admissions don’t think that standardized test scores are at all secondary, for they’re almost of equal importance. In information sessions you will most likely hear college admissions counselors tell you that they take a holistic approach in evaluating applicants and that your test scores should be in the 50% range of that school. But regardless of what they say, your scores can be a deciding factor in your admission.

Why are these scores so important? When colleges have to publicize their mean SAT’s / ACT’s, and US News and World Report uses these scores as one factor to rank schools, your scores can make all the difference in getting accepted to the college of your choice. More specifically, the critical reading and math portions of the SAT and the composite ACT scores account for 50% of the student selectivity for the entering class, and the student selectivity accounts for 15% in determining a college’s ranking.

The SAT is a three-part exam (Critical Reading, Math & Writing) and each part is scored on a scale from 200 (for bubbling in your name) to 800 (for a top score). For the high school class of 2010 the overall acceptance rates at the Ivy League Colleges ranged from 6.9% at Harvard University to 16.7% at Cornell University, and so it’s no wonder that every year dozens of applicants with 2400 SAT’s are rejected. (See our page on Ivy League Statistics for the Class of 2014.) Perfect SAT scores cannot guarantee admission at a highly selective institution if other parts of the candidate’s application are less than stellar. An outstanding academic record of rigorous courses, powerful essays, personal statements, significant extracurricular activities, solid letters of recommendation, and great interviews are additional factors that give admissions committees a holistic view of who you are.

To get a specific understanding of what a good SAT score is for you, first find out what the 25th to 75th percentile of SAT’s are for the colleges to which you’re applying. Obviously if your scores exceed the 75th percentile, you could have a good chance of being accepted, as long as you have demonstrated that you possess the other factors that make you an exceptional candidate.

Below are charts indicating the 25th to 75th percentile of SAT and ACT scores for the admitted students entering the freshman class of each Ivy League College in the fall of 2009. 1

Brown University

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

1331

89%

ACT

487

33%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

650

760

SAT Math

670

770

SAT Writing

670

770

ACT Composite

29

34

ACT English

29

35

ACT Math

28

34

Columbia University

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

1320

97%

ACT

320

24%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

680

770

SAT Math

680

780

SAT Writing

690

770

ACT Composite

29

34

ACT English

28

34

ACT Math

29

34

ACT Writing

8

10

Cornell University

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

2987

94%

ACT

1075

34%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

630

730

SAT Math

660

770

ACT Composite

29

34

Dartmouth College

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

858

78%

ACT

236

22%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

660

770

SAT Math

670

780

SAT Writing

670

770

ACT Composite

29

34

Harvard University

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

1600

96%

ACT

482

29%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

690

780

SAT Math

690

790

SAT Writing

690

780

ACT Composite

31

34

ACT English

32

35

ACT Math

31

35

University of Pennsylvania

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

2207

90%

ACT

890

36%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

660

750

SAT Math

690

780

SAT Writing

670

760

ACT Composite

30

34

ACT English

30

35

ACT Math

30

35

Princeton University

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

1270

96%

ACT

328

25%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

690

790

SAT Math

700

790

SAT Writing

700

780

ACT Composite

31

35

ACT English

32

35

ACT Math

31

35

ACT Writing

8

10

Yale University

Students Submitting Scores

Number

Percent

SAT

1218

92%

ACT

360

27%

25th Percentile *

75th Percentile **

SAT Critical Reading

700

800

SAT Math

700

780

SAT Writing

700

790

ACT Composite

30

34

ACT English

32

34

ACT Math

31

35

1 U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Retrieved June 15, 2010 from National Center for Education Statistics Website: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator

Ivy Coach offers SAT & ACT Tutoring
In addition to our college consulting services, we also offer SAT, ACT, Subject Test and AP tutoring as well as GMAT, GRE, LSAT, SSAT and ISEE. Our experienced tutors are all graduates of highly selective colleges, experts in their field, and have been able to help our students achieve significant increases in their standardized test scores. Our tutor’s approach to test preparation is holistic, comprehensive, and targeted to boost the student’s areas of weakness.

Our tutors work with our students from across the country and around the world using cutting edge videoconferencing technology making tutoring sessions totally interactive. The student and the tutor can see each other and chat just as if they are sitting next to one another. The instructor can upload problems to a whiteboard that both the tutor and the student can write on so that problems can be solved together, in a step-by-step approach. USB tablets make scribbling out notes a breeze, whether solving an algebraic problem, or analyzing a reading passage. If a student or parent wants to review a session at a later time, all tutorials are recorded in real-time and stored so that they can be easily accessed.

If you’re a sophomore, you may want to begin SAT or ACT tutoring in July prior to your junior year.

If you’re a junior, plan on taking SAT’s in January and March, Subject Tests in May and/or June, and ACT’s in February, April and/or June. The summer prior to your senior year may be your last chance to improve your scores before the October or November SAT’s or Subject Tests or the September or October ACT’s.